Author: Benjamin

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: North London estate agency Martyn Gerrard has expanded with the acquisition of Islington-based Carlton Estate Agents. The purchase is the latest move in the agency’s ambitious expansion strategy, which saw the acquisition of Range Homes in Palmers Green in February last year, along with the opening of its latest office in Hampstead. With the addition of Carlton’s Islington location, Martyn Gerrard now has 15 offices in total across its network of North and North West London offices. Founded in 1998, Carlton Estate Agents has almost 30 years’ experience serving the community…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: London rental prices remained steady in May 2025, with new data from Hello Neighbour showing a 1.1% increase compared to May 2024.  The latest insights report from the lettings and property management agent shows rents are at the same level as in May 2023, having undergone a month-on-month decline of 2% and a 1.3% rise on the previous three-month average. The report reveals that 72% of landlords are pricing their properties within 10% of the market rate, suggesting a broadly stable pricing strategy. Tenant demand followed a…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The ESTAS has announced the final shortlists for its 2025 Awards, recognising excellence in the property sector.  The categories include The People Awards, Supplier Awards and The Collaboration Awards. The People Awards category, introduced 14 years ago, celebrates individual staff who go above and beyond in helping clients through the home moving process. Sixty individuals have been shortlisted, with 10 to be honoured at the awards ceremony with a special trophy. The Supplier of the Year Awards, now in their 15th year, acknowledge suppliers who have received high service ratings…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: UK-based property and fintech platform OneDome has announced the acquisition of digital mortgage broker Trussle, trading as Better.co.uk, from Better Home and Finance Holding Company.  The transaction is subject to final approval by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). OneDome integrates mortgage, legal and insurance services into a “digital homebuying journey”. Its HomeBuyer Service bundles mortgage advice, conveyancing, and insurance into a single fixed-price package.  The acquisition of Trussle is intended to enhance OneDome’s offering and move it closer to its goal of facilitating 10% of all UK housing transactions within…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The number of UK property transactions fell sharply in April 2025, according to provisional figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). For residential properties, the seasonally adjusted figure was 64,680 transactions, representing a 64% drop compared to March 2025 and a 28% decline from April 2024. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, residential transactions fell to 55,970, down 66% month-on-month and 28% year-on-year. HMRC said the steep decline in residential transactions in April follows a spike in March, likely due to activity being brought forward ahead of the stamp duty land…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Rents in England increased for the fifth consecutive month in May, according to the latest Goodlord Rental Index.  The latest price jump could mark the start of the seasonal ‘summer surge’, with further rises expected over the coming months. The average rent for a new tenancy in May rose by almost 1% from April, reaching £1,226 – the highest recorded by the index since October 2024.  The North East recorded the biggest month-on-month increase at 2.2%, followed by the East Midlands with a 1.8% rise. Rents increased in all regions…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Lee Carratt Lee Carratt, franchise partnerships director at LSL Estate Agency Franchising, took on The Flower of Suffolk Hundred on 24 May to raise funds for Agents Giving – the official charity for the property industry – and clocked up £1,846 in donations, nearly doubling his original fundraising target of £1,000.  Ahead of the event, Carratt shared his tentative excitement for the day: “It’s going to be a huge challenge, both physically and mentally, but I’m proud to be doing it for such a great cause.” Then, the 100-mile circular…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: The latest House Costs Indices (HCI) report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that, by tenure type, private renter households had the highest annual inflation rate of 3.6% in March 2025, reflecting rising private rental payments. This was followed by social and other renter households, which had a 3% inflation rate in the year to March 2025. Outright owner occupiers experienced the lowest annual inflation rate of all tenure types, at 1.8% in the year to March 2025; mortgagor households had the next lowest (2.8%). Private rental costs…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: Kieran Witt and Ed Molyneux of Moverly Moverly has been named a finalist in the Smart Data Challenge Prize, a competition funded by the Department for Business & Trade to encourage innovations that use smart data to improve services for consumers and businesses. Smart data allows individual consumers and business customers to access and share their data simply and securely with third parties, enabling those third parties to provide innovative services. Moverly’s platform aims to simplify property transactions by giving customers control over their data and enabling more efficient sharing…

[openai_chatbot] rewrite this content and keep HTML tags as is: L-R (back); Christina McLean; Rory Wallace; Isabella Birch Reynardson; Lucy Bull; Rosanna Whitmore L-R (front); Hannah Norton; Stevie Walmesley Savills has expanded its super prime lettings operation beyond London with the formation of a national team to handle the top end of the rental market.  The move comes amid rising demand for high-value rental properties in areas including the commuter belt, the Cotswolds, and the north of England. The new team is headed by Isabella Birch Reynardson and the expanded department will work closely with Savills’ private office and sports…